What do you think about cholesterol meds?

[njpaddy]

7 years ago I let a doctor talk me into taking Crestor (a statin) for a year and a half. My cholesterol & triglycerides have been in the 200-225+ range for 40 years but no previous doctor had ever prescribed medication for it. While on Crestor, my cholesterol readings did go down to 130-160, but hip and leg pain at night eventually got so bad, I couldn't sleep past 3-4am. During the day I had no pain, so the doctor did his best to ignore it, because I was never in pain when I saw him. My wife and I even bought a new mattress thinking that was the problem. It didn't help. Neither did CoQ10, which I still take. Eventually after research online, I confronted the doctor about it being a side effect of Crestor. He reluctantly told me to stop taking it for 6 weeks. The pain went away and I never went back to that doctor. I should point out that in that year and a half, I never filled a prescription for Crestor. The office had a cabinet full of Crestor samples and the gals just gave me whatever I needed. DUH! That should have been a clue.

Earlier this year, at 73, I decided to get a checkup just for the hell of it and made an appointment with a random doctor. My cholesterol was over 225 and this doc wanted to put me on medication. I told him that I wasn't taking cholesterol meds, getting a colonoscopy (despite my dad and his dad dying from colon cancer), or getting a shingles vaccine. I did agree to taking a low dose BP med (no side effects to date), getting flu and pneumonia shots, doing a cologuard test (in lieu of colonoscopy), and undergoing stress and echo tests. All came out good, so for now he's backed arguing with the cranky old guy and we are getting along ok.

 

[njpaddy]

Yep. Again, easier said than done. But diet and exercise has shown great results in helping both diabetes and high cholesterol....

In the early 1990's, with a crummy HMO, I had some old quack and his crone nurse ask me if I ever got any exercise and I told them that occasionally I pushed myself away from the computer to walk upstairs and make a pot of coffee. They had no sense of humor and suggested I find another doctor, which was fine by me. The place was gross.

 

[shavefan]

In the early 1990's, with a crummy HMO, I had some old quack and his crone nurse ask me if I ever got any exercise and I told them that occasionally I pushed myself away from the computer to walk upstairs and make a pot of coffee. They had no sense of humor and suggested I find another doctor, which was fine by me. The place was gross.

I love it Some people have no humor.

 

[Juanmosey]

A cousin of mine died of a heart attack at 32. His father -no relation to me- died at 40. My father died at 52. I've been on the meds since 1986 with no problem.

 

[shave/brush]

I'm going to try changing my diet and getting more exercise. Another thing I read is that taking Metamucil twice a day can help a lot because of the unique fiber it has. I'll try that too.

 

[MntnMan62]

A cousin of mine died of a heart attack at 32. His father -no relation to me- died at 40. My father died at 52. I've been on the meds since 1986 with no problem.

Yep. My grandfather on my father's side died of a massive heart attack at the age of 60. My grandfather on my mother's side also died of a massive heart attack at the age of 56. One I never knew. The other died when I was two. I'm on two different blood pressure meds without side effects and they are working. I take a statin for my cholesterol. And I take something to help reduce inflammation of the prostate. I've had a biopsy and do not have cancer. PSA is stable. I really should start exercising more and watching my diet better. But I live to eat. And I've so far not motivated myself enough to work out regularly. Now that the cold is setting in, I keep saying I'll hop on the elliptical machine in the basement and try and drop some weight. Maybe one day I'll actually do that. Until then, the meds work for me. If I don't do the exercise and don't take the meds, I likely won't be around for my son's high school graduation. If there are no side effects, I don't understand the reluctance to take meds for conditions that are known to kill people. And if a doctor prescribes something that does give you side effects, you tell them about it and try a different one. There are several options for each condition. Just sayin'.

 

[AZBronco]

I've been on Pravastatin for over a decade--it's a genetic thing for me. Before I started the meds, I did my research on side effects and tried to lower my cholesterol through diet and exercise. My diet was almost completely fat free (my wife hated shopping during that phase) and I committed so much to running that I trained for, and ran, a marathon. After all that, my numbers hardly budged so I went on the meds. They brought my cholesterol down and it's been great ever since. My doctor once said my numbers were good enough, and I had an extensive enough history eating right and exercising that he said I could try stopping the meds for three months. At the end of three months, I had a blood check--and my doctor freaked out because how high my numbers jumped in such a short time. So I'm back on the meds and will likely be on them forever.

I have multiple family members with the same genetic issue. My grandpa died in his early 40s when my dad was like 10 years old. So I've already outlived my grandpa and am glad science figured out a way to help offset bad genes.

 

[FarmerTan]

There is a school of thought that says our cholesterol should go up as we age. It's a natural steroid. Helps aid with joint pain. Statins do no favors for your liver, and cause lots of muscle pain. Not for me, but my heart is so bad I don't worry about cholesterol!

 

[Chandu]

Find out the numbers within the numbers. There is a specific type of cholesterol test that will analyze the LDL aka "bad" cholesterol. Size matters

Personally I would not do the drug route without looking into this first

Advanced Lipoprotein Test: LDL-P Particle Number & LDL Size Test

Advanced lipoprotein tests are particle numbers and particle size (pattern A & B). These tests provide a better prediction of cardiovascular disease.

healthy-ojas.com

 

[Mr. Scruffy]

Statins will affect different people in different ways but are very effective in lowering serum cholesterol levels. They work for me.

 

[shave/brush]

Statins will affect different people in different ways but are very effective in lowering serum cholesterol levels. They work for me.

They lower the number not necessarily your cholesterol levels.

 

[MntnMan62]

I'm going to try changing my diet and getting more exercise. Another thing I read is that taking Metamucil twice a day can help a lot because of the unique fiber it has. I'll try that too.

Agree on the Metamucil. Great stuff. I call it the Wonder Powder.

 

[preidy]

Good. I'm still here!

 

[Mr. Scruffy]

They lower the number not necessarily your cholesterol levels.

I'm confused. If the number is a measurement of the level, how can one be lowered without the other also being lowered?

 

[FarmerTan]

I'm thinking he's referring to blood serum levels vs. something else...

Lol, I should probably stay out of this discussion, but, I will add some anecdotal junk in the mix....

J'ever notice how the southern folks used to eat everything they wanted and lived forever? Stress never kilt 'em, cuz they know how to chill.

 

[The Knize]

I take Atorvastatin. No side effects.

Ditto. 10 mg/d. I frankly cannot imagine not taking statins to lower my cholesterol. I work out a fair amount recently and my diet is not bad. My overall weight is not so good. But I have not seen any great reduction in lipid numbers since I have been working out. I truly think I would be fooling myself if I thought I was going to do enough exercise and eat well enough to lower those numbers. Better living through chemistry. Moreover, I basically trust my physician and do what she says, meds-wise. I always go to the internet to check up on medical issues, but it is not my first line of inquiry. I am highly skeptical of claims that statins have a lot of side effects or do not help prevent heart disease. Folks are just not dropping dead of heart attacks like they did a few decades ago and it is not because everyone is thin and fit these days!

 

[FarmerTan]

Ditto. 10 mg/d. I frankly cannot imagine not taking statins to lower my cholesterol. I work out a fair amount recently and my diet is not bad. My overall weight is not so good. But I have not seen any great reduction in lipid numbers since I have been working out. I truly think I would be fooling myself if I thought I was going to do enough exercise and eat well enough to lower those numbers. Better living through chemistry. Moreover, I basically trust my physician and do what she says, meds-wise. I always go to the internet to check up on medical issues, but it is not my first line of inquiry. I am highly skeptical of claims that statins have a lot of side effects or do not help prevent heart disease. Folks are just not dropping dead of heart attacks like they did a few decades ago and it is not because everyone is thin and fit these days!

Good advice. As a nurse, they train us to question EVERYTHING. I won't tell you how many doctors errors I've caught. Medicine is both an art and a science. But the nurse is considered the last line of defense for med errors, and ignorance is no excuse, and it can kill someone. Hope it isn't you or your loved ones.

I miss the good ole days: remember when heart surgery was rare? We men usually had a heart attack around age 60 to 65. Doc told us to stop pushing the lawn mower. We'd get tired of living like old men, go outside, push the mower, shovel snow, and have a second heart attack and die. No living forever in a rest home.

I cannot tell you how many hearts I've listened to in 90 year old ladies that sound like a young man. Then that old lady eventually dies from a bedsore. But I was giving her antilipid drugs and "heart pills" right up to a week before her death. And calling her docs for a stronger pain pill, and he's afraid to order it because of junkies. No, I don't miss geriatric nursing, lol.

 

[njpaddy]

I worked with a goth guy in the 80's & early 90's, who had a death clock in his office and greeted everyone who entered with the salutaion "Pray for Death". It was weird back then, but not so weird to me now.

 

[FarmerTan]

I worked with a goth guy in the 80's & early 90's, who had a death clock in his office and greeted everyone who entered with the salutaion "Pray for Death". It was weird back then, but not so weird now.

Too true.

 

[MntnMan62]

Ditto. 10 mg/d. I frankly cannot imagine not taking statins to lower my cholesterol. I work out a fair amount recently and my diet is not bad. My overall weight is not so good. But I have not seen any great reduction in lipid numbers since I have been working out. I truly think I would be fooling myself if I thought I was going to do enough exercise and eat well enough to lower those numbers. Better living through chemistry. Moreover, I basically trust my physician and do what she says, meds-wise. I always go to the internet to check up on medical issues, but it is not my first line of inquiry. I am highly skeptical of claims that statins have a lot of side effects or do not help prevent heart disease. Folks are just not dropping dead of heart attacks like they did a few decades ago and it is not because everyone is thin and fit these days!

Good advice. As a nurse, they train us to question EVERYTHING. I won't tell you how many doctors errors I've caught. Medicine is both an art and a science. But the nurse is considered the last line of defense for med errors, and ignorance is no excuse, and it can kill someone. Hope it isn't you or your loved ones.

I miss the good ole days: remember when heart surgery was rare? We men usually had a heart attack around age 60 to 65. Doc told us to stop pushing the lawn mower. We'd get tired of living like old men, go outside, push the mower, shovel snow, and have a second heart attack and die. No living forever in a rest home.

I cannot tell you how many hearts I've listened to in 90 year old ladies that sound like a young man. Then that old lady eventually dies from a bedsore. But I was giving her antilipid drugs and "heart pills" right up to a week before her death. And calling her docs for a stronger pain pill, and he's afraid to order it because of junkies. No, I don't miss geriatric nursing, lol.

+2!!!